The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-08-05
An African Queen.
A WOMAN RULER LIVING IN SAVAGE
srLENDoR ON TuE BANKS OF THE
ZAMBEsI.


The position of women in Africa is
as degraded as in most other savage
lands, and life is a round of hard, un.
requted toll to the weaker sex in near
ly all parts of the continent. Here
and there, however, is a pative queen
who has absolute influence over her
people and who surrounds herself with
as much pomp and circumstance as her
position permits. Mr.. Coilard, the
French Protestant missionary who
saved the life of Serpa Pinto during
that travellers trip across the continent,
has sent home a few facts about a
picturesque female who holds sway
over the savage Barotse on the upper
Zambesi.
One day recently Queen Mokuae
went on an excursion to the tombs of
her fathers. She was expected to re-
turn to her chief town two or three
days later, and on the appointed day
everybody was alert to hear the first
sound announcing the approach of the
royal party. Suddenly the measured
beat OF drums was family heard. "She
is coming. The queen is coming the
cry went through the town, and sever
al thousand men, women and children
lined the bank OF the broad Zambesi
and gazed down the watery expanse.
The sound of the drums grew louder
and soon the royal barge and the at
tending fleet came into view.
Under pavilion made of gaudily
colored native mats sat the queen in
full view of her subjects. Forty pad
dlers swiftly propelled her great canoe
up the stream. As she came opposite
the town the women and girls, who
were ranged in line along the shore,
began to intone chant, which struck
Mr.. Coillard as full of weird beauty.
1t recited the praises of Queen Mokuae.
At last the prov of the queens barge
struck the shore, and the crowds of
men who lined the way fiom the rivers
edge to the queens mansion, instantly
dropped on their kness and began to
clap their hands, keeping time to the
beat of the drums.
The queen stepped out of her barge.
Over her shoulders she wore brightly
colored Indian robe. Several strings
of beads and ornaments of ivory en-
circled her neck, and large white pearls
were arranged with care in her hair.
She saluted the white man with wave
of her hand, but appeared to pay no at
tention to her subjects. A procession
was instantly formed with the native
band at its head. The musicians wore
suspended from their necks the instru-
ments known as serimbas, which
are long gourds, on which are strung
cords of different lengths which
give variety of sounds when
struck with drumsticks. As the
procession started the musicians struck
up, and did not cease playing until the
queen withdrew into her apartments.
Behind the band walked the queen,
and at considerable distance behind her
the royal suite and the oarsmen of her
fleet. As they passed along the popu-
lace fell into line, and so the long pro-
cession marched until they reached the
queens abode.
Then the master of ceremonies
spread on the ground lions skin, on
which the queen took her stand. The
royal suite approached within about
hundred feet, ranged themselves in
line before the queen, lifted their hands
toward She sky, crying "Locbe Loche!'
and then prostrated themselves in the
dust. Next, the boatmen went through
the same ceremony, and then the pop
ulace, in detachments, paid their re-
spects to their ruler in the same man.
ner after them the visitors in the vii
lage, and finally Mr.. Coillard's own
boatmen. Then the queen disappeared
within her house, and soon after, sur
rounded by her young women, gave an
audience to the white man.
She had wheezy aocordian, over
whose keys she ran her fingers with
surprising agility, and she played a
curious medley of savage airs. She
was very proud of her musical accom-
plishments, which, however, did not
greatly impress her visitor. Mr.. Coil
lard has been permitted to establish
mission in this town, where, he says,
many picturesque scenes only serve to
conceal all the horrors of paganism and
the grossest and most revolving super
stitions.-Neao York Sun.